Just so you know, this is a sponsored post. But the opinions are our own and we researched the topic and came to these conclusions independently.
Don’t look now, but there are about 100 trillion bacteria living in and on your body. The largest concentration is in your gut (around a kilo of your weight is bacteria alone!).
But they’re not just hanging out down there. Your gut bacteria are hard workers – fermenting your foods for better digestion, providing anti-inflammatory fatty acids and even synthesizing vitamins.
Yet, the microbiome exists in a delicate balance. Junk food, stress and even antibiotics can all throw the ratio of healthy gut bacteria and bad bacteria out of whack. Reckon your bugs need, er, debugging? Here’s how following a few simple steps, like drinking kombucha, can help rebuild your microbiome.
1. Weed phase: get rid of those bad bugs!
In order for our body to flourish, we need to “weed out” the bad bugs in the body to give room for the good bacteria to have a chance to survive, says our in-house nutritionist and recipe developer Meg Yonson.
To do this, Meg recommends cutting off the bad bugs’ food supply: “This means avoiding sugar, refined and processed foods, and eating antibacterial foods like apple cider vinegar, coconut oil and turmeric.”
It’s also crucial to heal the gut lining, so it’s a hospitable place for good bacteria to grow, Meg says. Soothing foods for the gut lining include gelatin, chia seeds and supplements like aloe vera and slippery elm.
2. Seed phase: power up on probiotics!
The secret to maintaining a healthy gut is all about increasing the good bacteria. After all, our gut houses up to 80 per cent of our immune system!
Remedy Kombucha co-founder, Sarah Condon says this is easily done by adding naturally fermented (and, more importantly, unpasteurised), probiotic-rich foods and drinks like kombucha, sauerkraut, and kefir into your daily diet.
“The beneficial bacteria, or probiotics, in unpasteurised kombucha keep your insides flourishing with a healthy community of good bugs,” says Sarah.
We love Remedy for making the only kombucha with less than 0.1g of sugar per 100ml – that’s gotta be better for your gut!
3. Feed phase: your bacteria need food, too!
It’s important to eat your prebiotics, too. These are foods rich in dietary fibre that is indigestible by the body. It reaches the bowel intact, so the healthy gut bacteria can feed on it and increase their numbers.
Prebiotics include asparagus, beans, beetroot, cashews, chickpeas, corn, garlic, grapefruit, lentils, onions, peaches, pistachio nuts and wheat. Just be careful not to go overboard on these if you have digestive issues. A large amount of prebiotics can cause gas and bloating as the bacteria get overexcited in their fermenting!
Have you found that fermented foods have improved your gut health?
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